Berkeley Law’s powerhouse faculty ranks sixth nationally in scholarly impact, according to the latest version of a study that tracks citations as a measure of professors’ influence.
And in a new survey of U.S. News & World Report voters conducted as part of the same study, Dean Erwin Chemerinsky — the most-cited law professor in the nation — took the No. 3 slot on the list of most impactful law professors. Professor Orin Kerr is tied for fifth. Read more>>
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Four Afghan girls in Chagcharan, Afghanistan (2012)
For Afghan refugees Zulaikha Aziz ’08 and Roya Massoumi ’04, the humanitarian crisis raging in their home country is excruciating. A new Berkeley Law initiative they helped create in response — fueled by students, faculty, and staff mobilizing to launch it at lightning speed — offers an impactful opportunity to help. Read more>>
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When Adam Sterling ’13 first heard about the Weil Legal Innovators Program, one thought instantly sprang to mind: What a perfect fit for Berkeley Law. Sterling, executive director of the school’s Berkeley Center for Law and Business, learned about the program from Kyle Krpata, who serves on the center’s advisory board. A partner at Weil, Gotshal & Manges LLP, Krpata described how the program selects students admitted to leading law schools to work in the public interest sector for a year before starting their legal education. Read more>>
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Adjusting to new realities and rejiggered expectations is a huge challenge for many during the COVID-19 pandemic. For Blake Mollberg ’19, it’s second nature.
Shortly before graduating from the U.S. Air Force Academy, a medical condition re-routed her dream of becoming a pilot and a commissioned officer. True to form, rather than dwell on the disappointment, she took it as “an incredible opportunity for personal and professional growth that only deepened my commitment to public service.” Read more>>
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Berkeley Law recently welcomed 11 new hires to its flourishing clinical program — three teaching fellows and eight supervising attorneys. Their arrival continues to expand the program’s outreach to marginalized communities and allows the clinics to offer more students hands-on training, small classes, and mentorship. Future plans for the program include adding five tenure-track faculty over the next five years as well as launching new clinics. Read more>>
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Promoting a Berkeley Law faculty member to Security of Employment status requires “clear documentation of consistent and sustained excellence in teaching.” For Kristen Holmquist, such paperwork could fill a few lecture halls. Since arriving in 2008, she has helped Berkeley Law students in myriad ways across multiple platforms — building a robust academic support program, expanding practical hands-on legal training opportunities, advancing diversity and inclusion, fueling curricular flexibility, and more. Read more>>
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In the summer of 2020, as protests erupted all over the country in response to the murder of George Floyd by police officer Derek Chauvin, Berkeley Law Dean Erwin Chemerinsky felt optimistic that Congress and state legislatures would take steps to increase police accountability. Read more>>
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The Mark Bingham Award for Excellence in Achievement by Young Alumni, presented annually since 2005 by UC Berkeley and the Cal Alumni Association, is named in Bingham’s honor to celebrate those who embody his legacy. The award recognizes recent graduates who have made a significant contribution to their community, country, or the world at large. This year, it was given to Berkeley Law alumna Tam Ma '02 and Christopher Ategeka (B.S. '11, M.S. '12). Read more>>
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The COVID-19 pandemic has changed the way that many of us live and it has also reinforced the value of old friends, those people with whom we shared the most transformational experiences of our youth. Because we are unable to share this milestone law reunion in person, the law school has created a class book for J.D. graduates in the class of 1996. If you are a member of the class, you can create a profile here: Class of 1996 Class Book. Questions? Please contact alumni@law.berkeley.edu.
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The deadline to register is September 21. Registration is required to participate.
Online CLEs:
- September 23, 10:00–11:15 am (PT): Environmental panel
- September 24, 9:30–10:45 am (PT): Ethics panel
- September 24, 12:00–1:15 pm (PT): Bias panel
- September 25, 10:00–11:30 am (PT): Supreme Court Update with Dean Chemerinsky
Other Online Sessions:
- Toward Justice: East Bay Community Law Center Alumni Gathering, September 23, 12:00–1:15 pm (PT)
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Dean's Town Hall, September 25, 12:00–1:00 pm (PT)
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Save the Date! California Bar Swearing-In Ceremony
Berkeley Law graduates who recently passed the California Bar Exam are invited to our annual Bar Swearing-In Ceremony. The event will take place on Tuesday, December 14, at 4:00pm PT. More information to follow in early November. Please contact: alumni@law.berkeley.edu with any questions.
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Professor Prasad Krishnamurthy, with Emma Elizabeth Gonzalez, directing attorney at the Public Law Center in Orange County, explains why justice in debt-collection cases is one-sided and says the state should guarantee the right to a lawyer. Read more>>
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Volunteers Needed: Advocacy Competition Judging
Berkeley Law's Advocacy Competitions Program is taking on hosting duties for two regional competitions this fall, and we won't be able to pull it off without a large number of alumni volunteers. Please consider judging one of these external competitions. They will all be virtual, so we welcome practitioners from all time zones. Sign-up links are below; we hope to see you at one of these events!
And please consider judging our internal negotiation competition, also virtual this year. This internal competition pairs upper-class Berkeley Law students with Berkeley Haas MBA candidates to negotiate a high-stakes M&A deal:
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Virtual Enrichment Programs |
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On August 17, the Berkeley Law Los Angeles Chapter hosted a virtual event with California State Senators Ben Allen '08 and Henry Stern '09, who discussed their paths to elected office and the role Berkeley Law played in their careers. The event was moderated by illustrious alumna Ann O’Leary ’05, former chief of staff for California Governor Gavin Newsom. Watch the recording here>>
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The Berkeley Law Alumni Association is proud to present this series of podcasts focused on career development. The sessions were created for recent graduates but others may find them useful too.
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Professor Jennifer Chacón appears on the Immigration Nerds podcast to discuss the history of policing immigrants through the criminal justice system and exploring better alternatives to managing migration. Listen here>>
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Professor Pamela Samuelson appears on the Techdirt podcast to discuss the Oracle/Google case and what impact the landmark case has on copyright and interoperability. Listen here>>
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Learn from climate leaders and innovators in science, policy, and scholarship — 90 seconds at a time. Tune in on your smartphone or online to hear interviews with people like former California Governor Jerry Brown, California's lead climate regulator Mary Nichols, and former UC President and Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano. The program is produced by Berkeley Law's Center for Law, Energy & the Environment in conjunction with Berkeley's School of Journalism. Listen here>>
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Very limited seating available for the Wednesday Cohort starting September 29
Leadership in the Legal Profession is a business school-style course designed to help legal professionals lead in complex systems, engage with interpersonal intelligence, navigate uncertainty, and drive innovation. The program is highly interactive and designed to maximize opportunities for self-reflection and peer-to-peer learning. Take your leadership skills to the next level and advance your career. Learn more and apply today>>
The Berkeley Law AI Institute is designed to train attorneys, judges, business leaders, and other professionals in AI technology and its many business applications, with a focus on the legal industry. Instructors include industry leaders, legal practitioners, and UC Berkeley faculty. Learn more>>
*Discounted tuition available for Berkeley Law alumni.
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Hometown: Temecula, CA
Education: UC Santa Barbara, B.A.; University of Vermont, M.Ed.
Affiliations: UC Student Regent Designate, California Law Review Vol. 111
I was born in Mexico and moved to southern California when I was in second grade. The lack of Latinas in higher education and in the broader legal profession influenced my desire to become a lawyer. I chose to attend UC Berkeley because I’ve been in public schools all my life and believe that, as a leading public law school, Berkeley Law and its students and graduates can create change and shape the future of our profession. Read more>>
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